Biz owners give freebies to Malaysian voters

Business owners, especially those in the food and beverage sector, are also doing their part to encourage Malaysians to vote in the 13th General Election -- by giving Malaysians freebies as long as they vote.

Ochado, a bubble tea company, announced that it will give away free drinks voters between 8pm and 10pm today. The deal is available at all Ochado outlets but it is limited to one drink per voter.

Coffee Chemistry Signature, a cafe in Subang, said it would offer free black coffee, cappuccino or cafe latte to voters from 5pm to 10pm. The offer is given "as an appreciation to all the voters", the company said.

Several other F&B outlets in the Klang Valley are also providing similar freebies.

Tung Yuan Bak Kut Teh restaurant in Sungai Buloh is offering each voters a free meal (including a drink) between 11am and 5pm, while stock last.

There are also a few pubs giving away free beers to voters today and the trend is also spreading to sub-urban areas.

For example, there is a cafe in Kuala Kubu Bharu (at Jalan Dato' Muda Jaafar) is offering a free iced lemon tea for the first 200 voters.

As voters will be experiencing the usage of the indelible ink for the first time, the process is also expected to help these F&B operators to identify genuine voters.

Of the 13,268,002 voters, only 12,992,661 are eligible to vote today as 272,387 of them , comprising mainly military and police personnel, were early voters who cast their ballots on April 30.

While this trend may appear new for Malaysians, however, it has been practiced in other countries for some time.

During the 2012 US Presidential Election, companies like Lululemon (a high-end yoga-apparel company), Starbucks, California Tortilla were among the many companies that offer freebies and discounts in conjunction with the historical event.

Lululemon offered free yoga classes on Election Day throughout Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia, just in case the election period has got voters all stressed up. Starbucks offered all customers an indivisible wristband on election day while California Tortilla gave free taco, just as long as customers were wearing an "I Voted" sticker or said "Vote" to the cashier.